Floor rack for transportation equipment



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M M UJ 4 QR Q Patented July 13, 1954 UNITED STATES AEN'E FLOOR RACK FOR TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT Application December 30, 1948, Serial No. 68,360

6 Claims.

My invention relates broadly to transportation equipment and more particularly to a floor rack structure for transportation equipment.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved sanitary floor rack for transportation equipment.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of floor rack for transportation equipment which is arranged in sections and hingedly connected with the interior side walls of the transportation unit and which may be lowered into coplanar relation for providing a supporting surface for cargo and perishable food product within the transportation unit.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a floor rack structure for transportation units composed of a plurality of coacting foldable racks certain of which are adapted to nest with respect to each other and to be hingedly moved to a stowed position within the transportation unit.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a construction of sectionalized floor rack for transportation units wherein the section of the floor rack are formed from stainless steel fabricated into racks hingedly connected with the walls of the transportation unit and adapted to be raised for washing the door structure and lowered for supporting the cargo and perishable food rack products, each of the sections being readily washable under the action of a forced flow of water, or of steam, for ensuring a sanitary condition in the transportation unit.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in floor construction of the racks for a transportation unit and the means for hingedly connecting the racks with the walls of the transportation unit or with each other, as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the application of the floor rack of my invention to a refrigerator car; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and showing two coacting racks lowered in position; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the racks raised against opposite sides of the refrigerator car for washing down the floor; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the racks employed in the transportation unit; Fig. 5 is an end view of the rack shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the rack illustrated in Fig. 4; Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rack illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the view being taken substantially online 'll of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a top plan 2 View of one of the racks adjacent the central door of the transportation unit; Fig. 9 is an end View of the rack shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a top plan view of one of the racks directly aligned with the door of the transportation unit and hingedly connected with the rack illustrated in Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is an end view of the rack shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of the rack shown in Figs. 10 and 11; Fig. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rack shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the view being taken substantially on line l3 i3 of Fig. 10; Fig. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of one of the rack sections illustrating the manner of hingedly connecting the section with the side wall of the refrigerator car; Fig. 15 is a fragmentary detailed view showing the manner of hooking the rack into raised position adjacent the side wall of the refrigerator car as illustrated in Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a detailed view showing the position of the rack section in normal hanging position; Fig. 17 is a detailed view showing the position of the rack in horizontal position for supporting the cargo or perishable food products; Fig. 18 is a horizontal sectional view showing the coacting sections of the floor racks in vertical position and hooked to the side walls of the refrigerator car and particularly illustrating the manner of nesting the racks adjacent the side door opening of the refrigerator car unit; Fig. 1 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the manner of inter-connecting the racks adjacent the side opening of the transportation unit; Fig. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on line 20-23 of the racks illustrated in Fig. 19; Fig, 21 is a detailed view of the rack hinge for connecting the rack sections adjacent the side wall opening of the transportation unit; Fig. 22 is a plan view of one of the hinge members used between the rack sections constituting the major area of the floor; Fig. 23 is an end view of the hinge shown in Fig. 22; Fig. 24 is a side view of the hinge shown in Figs. 22 and 23; Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the hing illustrated in Figs. 22, 23 and 24; Fig. 26 is a plan view of one of the hinges employed for connecting the rack section immediately adjacent the central opening of the car with the wall of the car; Fig. 27 is an end view of the hinge shown in Fig. 26; Fig. 28 is a side view of the hinge shown in Figs. 26 and 27; Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the hinge section illustrated in Figs. 26', 2'7 and 28; Fig. 30 is a plan view of the hinge section carried by the rack which occupies the open door area of the refrigerator car and which coacts with the hinge section illustrated in Figs. 26-29 and which also constitutes the hinge section carried by the intermediate rack coacting with the hinge section of Figs. 22-25; Fig. 31 is an end elevational view of the hinge section illustrated in Fig. 30; Fig. 32 is a perspective view of the hinge section shown in Figs. 30 and 31; Fig. 33 is a fragmentary side elevational View showing the assembly of the hinge sections which connect the racks with the side wall of the transportation unit; Fig. 34 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the nesting of the rack sections adjacent the doorway of the transportation unit and the manner of maintaining the rack sections which fold into the doorway area from a nested vertical position; Fig. 35 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on line lit-35; of Fig. 33 and illustrating the nested position of the rack sections on an enlarged scale similar to the showing illustrated in Fig. 18; Fig. 36 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through one of the racks and showing the arched construction thereof for imparting strength to the rack; Fig. 3'? is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the transverse supports for the racks and showing fragmentary portions of two of the metallic stringers supported by the racks; and Fig. 38 is a perspective view of one of the transverse supports for the racks.

My invention is directed to a sanitary metallic floor rack structure for transportation units and is particularly designed for installation in refrigerator cars for transportation of meats, vegetable, fruits and other perishable food products. While I have illustrated my invention as applied to a refrigerator car, I desire it to be understood that the door rack structure is equally applicable to trucks and other unit where the sanitary preservation of food products is important. Accordingly, throughout the specification wherever reference is made to refrigerator cars I desire that it be understood that the structure is equally applicable to all forms of transportation units and to storage units where a sanitary protective flooring is employed. The racks of my invention are fabricated from stainless steel and have been developed to support very substantial loads. The racks have a high degree of rigidity and yet the racks are light in weight and may be readily elevated from a horizontal load-supporting position to a stowed position at the sides of the transportation unit for washing the floor beneath the racks and for washing the racks under forced flow of water or steam. At the end of each transportation run the racks and the interior of the transportation unit are subject to a thorough cleaning operation preparatory to receiving a further shipment.

The construction of a refrigerator car is such that it is not possible to employ the same type of rack throughout the entire car. This is due to the center door opening in the refrigerator car for loading and unloading the cargo. The rack sections which are effective within the interior of the refrigerator car are hinged to the opposite interior side walls of the car, but at the open door positions of the car there are no side walls with which to establish hinge connections between the racks and the car. Accordingly, four rack sections are provided at the central door position and constructed to symmetrically cover the central door position. Individual rack sections at the central door position are hingedly connected with adjacent rack sections which in turn hingedly connect with the interior side walls of the refrigerator car. The two-rack sections may thus be nested with respect to each other and angularly moved to a stowed position against the wall of the refrigerator car. Four such nesting units are provided in the average refrigerator car installation whereas there are generally twenty rack sections which hingedly connect with the interior walls of the refrigerator car and are angularly movable to stowed position therein butwhich did not involve the nesting feature which I have found necessary to provide at the central door location of the refrigerator car.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference character I designates a conventional refrigerator car having side openings 2 and 3 normally closed by refrigerator doors. The car is represented as having space for refrigeration units at each end thereof as indicated at i and 5 separate from the interior or loading-receiving portion of the car by partitions 6 and l.

The interior of the refrigerator car is covered by a metallic flooring which may be readily cleaned to maintainthe interior of the car sanitary at all times. The opposite end portions of the refrigerator car is equipped with the supporting rack of my invention arranged in sections which I have designated at 8, 9, it, H, I2 and I3, all hinged to the wall IA of the refrigerator car and coacting sections l5, l6, ll, l8, l9 and 28 all hingedly connected with the opposite side of wall 2| of the refrigerator car. Similarly, the other end of the refrigerator car is provided with rack sections 22, 23, 24, 25, 2t and 21, hingedly connected with the side wall 28 of the refrigerator car and aligned with coacting rack sections 29, 3B, 3 l, 32, 33 and 34, hingedly connected with side wal1 35 of the refrigerator car. Rack sections 8l2 and l5l9 and 23'2l and. 36-35 are all symmetrical and are shown more clearly in Figs. 4 7. Rack sections i3, 25, 22 and 29 are symmetrical and are constructed as shown more clearly in Figs. 8 and 9. These rack sections are all arranged interiorly of the refrigerator car. However, it is essential to provide rack sections through the central door positions at 2 and 3 where there is no opportunity of hingedly connecting these rack sections to the side walls of the car. I have shown these particular rack sections at 38, 31, 38 and 3!]. The structure of the sections lid-39 is illustrated moreclearly in Figs. 10 to 13.

Each rack includes a plurality of transversely extending stringers represented at it in Figs. 36-38. Each stringer is provided with a laterally disposed longitudinally extending channel portion 4! forming a supporting foot at the bottom thereof and is provided with a transversely disposed strengthening flange l2 and 43 at each end thereof tapering from a relatively wide dimension 42a and 43a at the top thereof to a relatively narrow dimension 3217 and 43b adjacent the bottom thereof. The stringer 46 is provided with arch shaped cut-outs adjacent the top thereof and these cut-outs are each outstruck in the same direction to provide arched flanges 44, 45, 4t, 41, 43, and as for imparting strength and rigidity to the stringer M3. Intermediate the arch-shaped cut-outs the stringer is provided with integrally connected tongues 59, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 extending in a plane normal to the plane of stringer 40. These tongues 5d-56 extend in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arch-shaped flanges id--49 extend, thereby providing a light-weight structural unit ofvery substantialrigidity. The tongues 50-56 are each narrowed su'fliciently to enable the tongues'and the side portions of the arch-shaped flanged cut-outs 44-49 to be wiped by the channel-shaped stringers which I have designated at 51, 58, 59, 68, 6|, 62, and 63 in Figs. 4-13. Although' there are three different types of rack sections as I have heretofore explained, for purposes of simplification I have indicated the stringers for all of the racks by the same reference characters. Each rack includes five laterally disposed stringers corresponding to stringer 40 in Fig. 38 and I have indicated these stringers in Figs. 6-13 by reference characters 40, 54, 65, 66, and 61, arranged at symmetrically spaced intervals beneath the racks.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the rack sections in operative position for carrying the load within the refrigerator car. In Fig. 3 I have shown the manner in which the racks are hinged upwardly and stowed against the side walls of the car.

Fig. 18 illustrates more clearly the manner in which rack 38 in the central door position of the car is nested into rack 28 immediately adjacent the central door position of the car. This is accomplished by providing rack 28 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 with laterally extending bars 68, 69 and 18 attached to the plane surface thereof adjacent the bottom of the plate. These bars serve as hinged members as represented more clearly in Fig. 21 by establishing connection with a pin 7| passing through aperture 12 as indicated in Fig. 11 in the aligned stringer 48 in the rack section 38 illustrated in Figs. -13. Similarly, bar 69 establishes pivoted connection with a pin extending through aperture 13 in stringer 65 of rack section 38, and similarly, bar 10 es tablishes pivotal connection with a pin passing through aperture 14 in stringer 61 on rack section 38. Accordingly, rack section 38 may be swung to a position with respect to rack section in which rack section 38 is nested with respect to rack section 28 as shown in Fig. 18. The nested sections may then be moved to a position in which both nested sections are stowed against the side wall of the car. This is accomplished by means of a hook 15 shown more clearly in Figs. 15 and 16. Hook 15 is carried by laterally disposed pin 18 in channel-shaped stringer so by which the hook 15 is capable of sufficient movement to allow the hook to enter one of the several of the spaced apertures 11 in the side wall structure of the car for maintaining the racks in stowed position as represented in Fig. 3. To ensure maintenance of the nests of the rack sections 28 and 38 I provide coacting outstruck projections and recesses 18 and 19 as shown inv Figs. 9, 11, 18, 34 and 35 in the end plate members of the sections 28 and 38 by which the sections are spring-latched into nested position and prevented from readily falling apart. By applying a reasonable force to the rack 38 it is readily dislodged from rack 38 and swung outwardly to a position substantially coplanar with rack 30 and then moved downwardly to a horizontal position ready to receive the load within the refrigerator car.

The side hinges constituted by bars 88, 89 and 10 properly space the adjacent racks represented for example by 20 and 38, so that rack 38 may be moved to a position nesting with rack 20, that is, from the dotted line position 38' in Fig. 18 to the full line position 38. As illustrated more clearly in Fig. 21, the hinge formed by bar 68 is spotwelded around an extrusion 89 on stringer 48 securing bar 68 in a position extending in a plane for all practical purposes ooplanar with the plane of the stringer 40. The bar 58 is connected with stringer 48 in rack 38 by means of the pin 1| which extends through the extruded bearing 98 outstruck from the stringer 40 of the rack section 38. The extruded bearing extends through an aperture 68a in bar 68. Pin 1| is provided with a confining head 1Ia on one end and is swaged over on the other end 1lb to permit rotation of rack section 38 with respect to rack section 28 and the nesting thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 18 and 20. In Fig. 18 the units 28 and 38 are illustrated in nested relation, as distinguished from the extended relation of these units illustrated in Fig. 20. In Fig. 18 the section 38 is illustrated moved around hinge bars 68, B9 and 10 from dotted line position 38 to full line position 38, whereas in Fig. 20 rack section 38 is shown in extended relation to rack section 28 and illustrated in full lines preparatory to movement to the dotted line position 38".

In order to clarify the arrangement of nesting of the rack sections adjacent the door openings of the refrigeration car, I have illustrated the structure in enlarged fragmentary views shown in Figs. 34. and 35, wherein it will be observed that when rack section 28 hinged to the side wall of the transportation unit is raised and secured in position, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, the open door unit 38 may be raised with respect thereto and latched in position by reason of the spring connection between outstruck projections and recesses 18 and 19. Fig. 34 shows in enlarged fragmentary section the manner in which this detachable connection is eifected, while Fig. 35 shows in plan View the manner in which the spring interlock is maintained.

Fig. 17 shows in enlarged foreshortened sectional view the relationship of the rack sections to the wall of the refrigeration unit when the rack section is lowered to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 17 shows the horizontal position of the rack section as distinguished from the vertical position thereof illustrated in Fig. 16.

The types of hinges employed in connecting the rack sections with the side walls of th transportation unit differ with the location of the rack section with respect to the interior of the refrigeration unit, and have the forms illustrated in Figs. 22 32. In Fig. 22 I have shown the construction of hinge 88 which is employed between the rack sections installed in positions 8-l3, ZZZ-21, i5-28 and 29-34. The hinge 88 constitutes a wall leaf unit having an attachment portion 88a which is secured to the side wall of the transportation unit by means of lag screws 81 which are screwed and not driven into the side wall of the transportation unit, as represented more clearly in Fig. 33. The wall leaf unit extends horizontally from the attachment portion 88a and carries pin member 82 extending in opposite directions and constituting pintles to which the racic leaf hinge section shown in Figs. 30-32 is connected. Th rack leaf hinge sections illustrated in Figs. 30-32 comprise leaf portions 83 which are secured to the underface of the end channels of the rack sections shown at 51 and 53. The rack leaf hinge section has an enlarged loop portion 84 thereon which encircles the end of pintle 82 but allows sufiicient lost motion thereof to permit a slight shifting of the rack in ad justing the rack to the vertical hanging position illustrated in Figs. 14 and 16. This lost motion facilitates the latching of hook 15 through aperture 11.

In Figs. 26-29 I have shown the construction of the hinge installed at each end wall. of the refrigeration unit,.that is, the end wallleaf at locations adjacent partition t and adjacent partition l and in the positions on each side of the door openings at 2 and 3. This end wall leaf unit comprises a bracket 85 having an attachmerit portion 8511 which may be secured to the side Wall of the transpotation unit. The horizontally projecting portion of the end wall leaf carries horizontally extending pin as which engages a complementary construction of bracket leaf member of the form illustrated in 3G- 32. The application of the rack leaf member shown in 39-32 and the assembly thereof with the bracket leaf illustrated in Figs. will be clear by reference to Figs. 8 and 19. It will be seen that a rack leaf 8% is mounted on the underface of channels iii and t for coaction with different types of bracket leafs. The rack leaf 33 located in line with channel 63 on the right hand end of the rack shown in Fig. 8 coacts with a wall leaf bracket of the type shown in Figs. 26-29, whereas the rack leaf 33 secured to the underface of channel s: on the left hand side of the rack unit shown in Fig. 8 coacts with pin 82 on one end of the wall leaf bracket of the type illustrated in Figs. 22-25. Thus, the rack sections located in positions 13, 22, 28 and 29 are hingedly connected with the opposite walls of the transportation unit. A similar arrangement is provided for the end rack sections 8, 2?, I5 and 35. All of the other rack sections arranged intermediate the side opening 2 and 3 and the end partitions a tation unit are hingedly connected with the interior side walls of the transportation unit through wall leaf brackets of the type shown in Figs. 22-25.

Figs. 36-38 set forth clearly the structural arrangement of the transverse stringers which rigidly brace the racks while maintaining the racks relatively light in weight. The rigidity is secured by virtue of arch shaped flanges i t-d2,

which extend in a direction opposite to the direction in which integrally connected tongues 50-56 extend in coiribination with the tapered side members it and t3 and the rolled over channel portion ii. The racks are further strengthened by means of a transversely extending bar 8i extending transversely across one end of the longitudinally extending channels L l--33 and the transversely extending channel 88 extending across the opposite ends of the longitudinally extending channels El -t3 constituting the racl; section. Thus, very substantial rigidity is imparted to each rack section. The transverse channel has a resilient projecting face thereon extending beyond the ends of the longitudinally disposed channels fi'l-GS. Sufficient springiness and yieldability exist in the face of the channel 88' to enable the channels on the coacting aligned rack sections to substantially wipe each other in the horizontally aligned position illustrated in Fig. 2 for definitely establishing a positive mutual supportfor the two ccacting rack sections and close the central seam through the rows of racl; units. Thus, further rigidity is imparted to the rack; structure for further facilitating the supporting oi the load. it will be observed that the rack sections are permanently connected to the opposite vertical of the transportation unit so that theft thereof from the transportation unit is, for all practical purposes, prevented. The channel shaped members and l of the transpor- P 8; M constituting the foot.v supportsxforv the.-..ra'ck units are each arranged in groups transversely to each rack unit with the channel's-of eachzgroup facing in the direction of thehingedconnection of thatrack unit with the side wall of thetranse portation unit. That is to say, th groups of. channelshaped members at M in one rack section all extend in a direction opposite to the direction in which the channels in the glTOllDxOf channel shaped members in the aligned rack section extend. This complementary relation further increases the rigidity of. the support proed by the racks in an elevatedxpositionover the base structure. The transverse channel 88 also serves as a partial housing for the swingable hook it which isswung around the channel 38 in effecting a latch through the aperture 11. In this respect, all of the rack sections are similarly constructed. The difference in the rack sections occurs only with respect to the hinge connections with the side walls of the transportation unit,.as heretofore explained. The factthat components of the rack are fabricated from stainless steel ensures the maintenance of the rack in a bright, sanitary condition in the support of perishable food products including meats and vegetables, and enables the rack to be readily washed periodically after use. The racks coact with each other in the movement thereof from stowed positions against the opposite vertical walls of the transportation unit to horizontal positions in coplanar relation.

I have found the structure of my invention highly practical, and while I have illustrated my invention in certain preferred embodiments, I realize that modifications may be made and I intend no limitations upon my invention other than. may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A floor rack installation comprising a pair of foldable and nestable floor racks, one of said floor racks being hingedly supported and the other of said floor racks being hingedly connected with the aforesaid floor rack, said floor racks each including fiat surface members thereon and transverse stringers connected therewith, said transverse stringers having the surfaces thereof extending in relatively close overlapping relation when said floor racks are moved into nested relation, and means formed in the surfaces of said transverse stringers and interengageable with each other for maintaining the racks in folded nested relation.

2. A floor rack installation as set forth in claim 1 in which said means are resilient and are yieldable with said transverse stringers.

3. A floor rack installation comprising a pair of foldable and nestabie floor racks, one of said floor being hingedly supported and the other of said floor racks being hingedly connected with the aforesaid floor rack, said floor racks each including flat surface members thereon and transverse stringers connected therewith. said transverse stringers having the surfaces thereof extending in relatively close overlapping relation when said floor racks are moved into nested relation, the transverse stringer on one of said floor racks having an outstruck projection therein and the overlapping transverse stringer on the coacting folded and nested floor. racl-z having a coasting alignable projection therein, thesaid projections constituting a spring 9 latch for resiliently maintaining said racks in folded nested relation.

4. A floor rack installation as set forth in claim 3 in which said projections extend in linear directions in said transverse stringers in positions spaced below the flat surface members constituting said floor racks and offset with respect to each other for facilitating the latching of said racks in folded nested relation.

5. A floor rack installation as set forth in claim 4 in which said transverse stringers include an intermediate web portion having a foot formed on one edge thereof and having connections te said fiat surface members along the other edge thereof, and wherein the projections are so located in said webs that the projection in one web extends in the opposite direction to the projection of the web in the transverse stringer of the coacting folded and nested rack whereby said projections are resiliently latched for maintaining the racks in folded nested relation.

6. In a transportation unit of the type comprising a base structure and a side wall enclosing structure having aligned side openings therein, a multiplicity of rack sections each constituted by coacting pairs of racks having supporting stringers extending normal to the plane surfaces of said racks with the racks of the said coasting pairs individually hingedly connected with the opposite side walls of the transportation unit with the free ends thereof alignable in substantially coplanar relation in a horizontal position over said base structure, rack sections aligned withthe side openings of said transportation unit and having supporting stringers extendin normal to the plane surface of said rack sections and individually hingedly connected with one side of the rack that connects at its end with said wall structure adjacent the opening therein, whereby said last mentioned coasting rack sections may fold along an axis substantially in alignment with the side openings through the transportation unit with the supporting stringers overlapping into nested relation for subsequent stowage in a vertical position against the side wall structure of the transportation unit, and outstruck and instruck projections formed in certain of said supporting stringers and alignable to establish interlocking connection for maintaining the racks and rack sections in stowed relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 656,462 Kirby Aug. 21, 1900 1,440,476 Lippincott Jan..2, 1923 1,543,161 Hull June 23, 1925 1,772,720 Johnson Aug. 12, 1930 2,168,595 Zeidler Aug. 8, 1939 2,226,042 Zane Dec. 24, 1940 2,278,354 Johnston Mar. 31, 1942 2,291,472 Johnston July 28, 1942 2,315,202 I-Iaseltine Mar. 30, 1943 2,368,824 Geddes Feb. 6, 1945 

